Load-shedding has pushed a lot of George and Garden Route households toward gas geysers, and it's usually a good move — instant hot water regardless of the grid, lower running costs over time, and no waiting for a tank to reheat. But a gas installation is not a like-for-like swap with an electric geyser, and getting it wrong isn't just inconvenient, it's dangerous.

Instantaneous vs. storage gas geysers

Most residential gas installations we do are instantaneous (tankless) units — they heat water on demand rather than storing a tank of hot water. They're compact, don't run out of hot water mid-shower, and suit most family homes. Storage gas geysers still have a place in larger households with multiple simultaneous hot water draws, but they're less common in new installations these days.

Sizing it correctly

The single biggest mistake we see in botched installations is an undersized unit. Gas geysers are rated in litres per minute, and that rating needs to match your household's actual simultaneous demand — not just the number of bathrooms. A unit sized for a couple in a two-bedroom home in Blanco won't keep up with a family of five running two showers and a kitchen tap at once in a larger George property. We calculate this properly before recommending a unit, rather than defaulting to whatever's in stock.

What a compliant installation actually involves

  • Correct gas line sizing and routing— undersized gas piping starves the unit and causes inconsistent water temperature.
  • Proper ventilation— gas geysers need to be installed in a ventilated space (usually externally) to avoid carbon monoxide build-up. This isn't optional or a “nice to have.”
  • Pressure regulation— both gas pressure and water pressure need to sit within the manufacturer's specified range for the unit to function and last.
  • A compliance certificate— a properly qualified installer issues a Certificate of Conformity (CoC) for the gas installation. Insurers can and do refuse claims involving non-compliant gas work.

Why installation quality matters more than the brand

We install Rinnai and similar reputable instantaneous units, but the unit itself is only part of the equation. A well-known brand installed with an undersized gas line or poor ventilation will underperform and can be unsafe, while a correctly specified and installed mid-range unit will run reliably for years. If a quote seems unusually cheap, ask specifically whether it includes a compliance certificate and correct gas line sizing — not just the unit and labour.

Coastal considerations

If you're closer to the coast — Wilderness, Sedgefield, or especially Knysna near the lagoon — salt air accelerates corrosion on exposed metal fittings and connections. We use corrosion-resistant fittings on coastal installations as standard, and recommend more frequent visual checks than you'd need further inland in George.

A gas geyser installation is a one-time job worth doing properly. Redoing a non-compliant installation costs more than getting it right the first time — and carries real safety risk in the meantime.